Acrostic
An acrostic ( ) is a poem or other form of writing in which the first letter, syllable or word of each line, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out a word or a message . As a form of constrained writing, an acrostic can be used as a mnemonic device to aid memory retrieval. A famous acrostic was made in Greek for the acclamation JESUS CHRIST, GOD'S SON, SAVIOUR ( ; I''esous'' CH''ristos'', TH''eou'' Y''ios'', S''oter'' — ch and th being each one letter in Greek). The initials spell ICHTHYS (ΙΧΘΥΣ), Greek for fish – hence the frequent use of the fish as a symbol for Jesus Christ. Overview Relatively simple acrostics may merely spell out the letters of the alphabet in order; such an acrostic may be called an 'alphabetical acrostic' or Abecedarius. These acrostics occur in the Lamentations of Jeremiah, Proverbs 31, 10-31, and in Psalms 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119 and 145 of the Hebrew Bible. Notable among the acrostic Psalms are the long Psalm 119, which typically is printed in subsections named after the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, each of which is featured in that section; and Psalm 145, which is recited three times a day in the Jewish services. Acrostics are common in medieval literature, where they most commonly serve to highlight the name of the poet or his patron, or to make a prayer to a saint. They are most common in verse works but can also appear in prose. Often the ease of detectability of an acrostic can depend on the intention of its creator. In some cases an author may desire an acrostic to have a better chance of being perceived by an observant reader, such as the acrostic contained in the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (where the key capital letters are decorated with ornate embellishments), or as in the poem To Doctor Empiric (by Ben Jonson) which is a verse outlined after the word W-O-L-F giving emphasis to, and capitalizing the key letters so such acrostic is relatively easier to discern. However, acrostics may also be used as a form of steganography, where the author seeks to conceal the message rather than proclaim it. This might be achieved by making the key letters uniform in appearance with the surrounding text, or by aligning the words in such a way that the relationship between the key letters is less obvious. This is referred to as null ciphers in steganography, using the first letter of each word to form a hidden message in an otherwise innocuous text. Using letters to hide a message, as in acrostic ciphers, was popular during the Renaissance, and could employ various different methods of enciphering, such as selecting other letters than initials based on a repeating pattern (equidistant letter sequences), or even concealing the message by starting at the end of the text and working backwards. Examples Secreted in the Dutch national anthem Het Wilhelmus (The William) is also an acrostic: the first letters of its fifteen stanzas spell WILLEM VAN NASSOV. This was one of the hereditary titles of William of Orange (William the Silent), who introduces himself in the poem to the Dutch people. This title also returned in 2010 in the Troonrede, the Dutch State of the Union. The first 15 lines of speech formed also WILLEM VAN NASSOV. It is hinted that this was a hint to the possibility of abdication of Queen Beatrix. Her son Crown prince Willem Alexander then becomes king Willem IV The classic mnemonic device for remembering planets is a well known example. Take the first letters of each planet in order and make a sentence with them as the first letters of each word. Although slightly modified of late it still works. M'y '''V'ery 'E'xcellent 'M'other 'J'ust 'S'erved 'U's 'N'achos 'M'ercury 'V'enus 'E'arth 'M'ars 'J'upiter 'S'aturn 'U'ranus 'N'eptune There is a classic example of acrostic poem in English written by Edgar Allan Poe is entitled simply "An Acrostic" : 'E'lizabeth it is in vain you say "'L'ove not" — thou sayest it in so sweet a way: 'I'n vain those words from thee or L.E.L. 'Z'antippe's talents had enforced so well: 'A'h! if that language from thy heart arise, 'B'reath it less gently forth — and veil thine eyes. 'E'ndymion, recollect, when Luna tried 'T'o cure his love — was cured of all beside — 'H'is follie — pride — and passion — for he died. scribbled off this double acrostic on the names of her two daughters, Trina and Freda]] wrote this unique double acrostic for Gertrude Chataway. The verses embody her name in two ways — by letters, and by syllables]] In Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass, the final chapter "A Boat, Beneath A Sunny Sky" is an acrostic of the real Alice's name: Alice Pleasance Liddell. '''A boat, beneath a sunny sky L'ingering onward dreamily '''I'n an evening of July - 'C'hildren three that nestle near, 'E'ager eye and willing ear, 'P'leased a simple tale to hear - 'L'ong has paled that sunny sky: 'E'choes fade and memories die: 'A'utumn frosts have slain July. 'S'till she haunts me, phantomwise, 'A'lice moving under skies 'N'ever seen by waking eyes. 'C'hildren yet, the tale to hear, 'E'ager eye and willing ear, 'L'ovingly shall nestle near. 'I'n a Wonderland they lie, 'D'reaming as the days go by, 'D'reaming as the summers die: 'E'ver drifting down the stream - 'L'ingering in the golden gleam - 'L'ife, what is it but a dream? Contained in A Calendar Acrostic is another example where the initial letters spell out the months of the year: 'JAN'et was quite ill one day. 'FEB'rile trouble came her way. 'MAR'tyr-like, she lay in bed; 'APR'oned nurses softly sped. 'MAY'be, said the leech judicial 'JUN'ket would be beneficial. 'JUL'eps, too, though freely tried, 'AUG'ured ill, for Janet died. 'SEP'ulchre was sadly made. 'OCT'aves pealed and prayers were said. 'NOV'ices with ma'y a tear 'DEC'orated Janet's bier. In October 2009, a letter from the office of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Governor of California, to the State Assembly was found to contain an acrostic. In this case, the initial letters of each line in the letter spelled the words "Fuck you". A spokesman for the Governor called the incident coincidental.http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/10/schwarzenegger_veto_you.html Similar tactics were used in 2001 by Stephen Pollard to conceal the message "Fuck you, Desmond" in a Daily Express article. In January 2010, Jonathan I. Schwartz, the CEO of Sun Microsystems, sent an email to Sun employees on the completion of the acquisition of Sun by Oracle Corporation. The initial letters of the first seven paragraphs spelled "Beat IBM". James May, presenter on the BBC program Top Gear, was fired from the publication Autocar for spelling out a message using the large red initial at the beginning of each review in the publication's Road Test Yearbook Issue for 1992. Properly punctuated, the message reads: "So you think it's really good? Yeah, you should try making the bloody thing up. It's a real pain in the arse." Multiple acrostics Acrostics can be more complex than just by making words from initials. A double acrostic, for example, may have words at the beginning and end of its lines, as this example, on the name of Stroud, by Paul Hansford - 'S'et among hills in the midst of five valley'''S, T'his peaceful little market town we inhabi'T R'efuses (vociferously!) to be a conforme'R. O'nce home of the cloth it gave its name t'O, U'phill and down again its streets lead yo'U. D'espite its faults it leaves us all charme'D. right|200px This example can be considered a more complex form of acrostic. This classical poetry is titled Behold, O God! written by William Browne published in 1815 in his book "Original Poems By William Browne." The poem has highlighted letters inside its verses such that when they are grouped together, printed as red letters in the manuscript, the letters depict three crosses and the topmost middle cross reads "INRI", in Latin means "Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum" translated as "Jesus of Nazareth King of Jews." The crosses contain verses from the New Testament. The left cross contains Luke 23:42 "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." The middle cross contains Matthew 27:46 "O God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" The right cross contains Luke 23:39 "If thou art the Christ, save thyself and us." The three being representations of what each of the three spake as they were capitally punished that evening. BEHOLD, O God! IN RI'''vers of my tears I come to thee! bow down thy blessed ears To hear me, wretch, and let thine eyes (which sleep Did never close) behold a sinner weep: Let not, '''O GOD, MY GOD, my faults through great, And numberless, bet'W'''een thy mercy's seat And my poor soul be t'H'rown! since we are taught, Thou, '''LORD, REMEMBERst th'Y'ne, '''IF THOU ART' be sought. I co'ME' not, Lord, wit'H' any o'THE'r merit Than WH'at I by my S'A'viour '''CH'rist inherit: Be th'''EN his wound'S' my balm; his st'RI'pes my bliss; My crown his TH'orns; my dea'T'h be lo'ST in his. And th'OU', my bles'T' Redeemer, SA'viour, God, Quit my ac'CO'unts, with'H'old the '''VE'ngeful rod! O beg for '''ME! my h'O'''pes on '''T'hee are set; And Chri'ST' forgi'V'''e, as well as pay t'H'e debt The liv'IN'g fount, the li'F'e, the wa'Y', I know, And but '''TO' thee, O''' whither 'S'hould I go? All o'TH'er helps a'R'''e vain: grant thin'E to me, For in th'Y' cross my S'aving hea'L'th must be. O hear'K'en then wh'A't I with '''F'aith implore, Lest S'''IN and Death sin'K' me for evermore. See also * Acronym and initialism * Backronym * Gordon Macdonald, 1st Baron Macdonald of Gwaenysgor * How to write an acrostic poem * List of poetic forms * Mesostic * O Antiphons * Word square * Glossary of poetry terms References External links ;About * Poetic Forms: Abecedarian and Acrostic, Academy of American Poets ;Examples * "Life is But a Dream" by Lewis Carroll * An unflattering gravestone acrostic poem in a Montreal cemetery * Acrostic epitaph of Gustavus Conyngham * California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's veto of Assembly Bill 1176 Category:Graphic poetry Category:Word games